What is your favorite pickup(s) in 2021?

[Scott Garner]

What was your favorite pickup in 2021?

Mine certainly would be the game used ball from Denny McLain's 31st win in 1968.
Terrific provenance, beautifully inscribed historic baseball from the last man to ever win 30 in a season. It was also in this game that McLain famously
grooved one to his boyhood idol Mickey Mantle for his second to last career HR.

Additionally, finally finding a dated ticket to Virgil Trucks' 1st no-hitter in 1952 was amazing. It ended a search that was more than 45 years...
In 1952, Detroit Tigers pitcher Virgil "Fire" Trucks was one of only a handful of pitchers to ever toss 2 no-hitters in a single season, joining Vandermeer and Allie Reynolds. Since 1952, only 2 players have joined this elite group of no-hit pitchers: Roy Halladay and Max Scherzer

Happy holidays to everyone on net54.
I hope you all found something special to enhance your own collections

[mrreality68]

I am happy with all my pickups
but
This is my favorite pickup

[Exhibitman]

The Dr.'s 1971 team issue photo. I have been looking for this literally for years. I got the team headshot composite several years ago but it was a poor substitute for the solo photo. It amazes me that I can get a photo like this for a fraction of the cost of a card. Not that I am complaining.

Note that Dr. J is depicted driving against Wes Unseld of the NBA Bullets using an ABA ball. The photos were taken 10/3/71 at an exhibition game during the first half. Erving scored 30.

If I ever get to another National and if Dr. J is signing, this is the one to get signed.

[guy3050]

these 2 for my Expos collection, Nolan Ryan's 3509th strikeout ticket and Tony Gwynn's signed 3000th hit ticket.

Happy Holidays Scott

[bnorth]

This 1/1 All Star bat of my favorite player and the Bill Ripken card.

The bat because it is a 1/1 that was presented to Wade for participating in the 2000 All Star Game Celebrity hitting contest. It is my rarest Boggs bat and in my top 5 favorite Boggs bats that I have.

The card because one of my best long time card friends is selling every thing because of his age. It is a super rare version in a odd ball slab. I had been trying to trade him out of it for many years. It is very important keepsake of my last card deal with an amazing gentleman that I had countless buying, selling, and trading transactions with.

[Topnotchsy]

Here are a few of my highlights from across my different areas of collecting:

Lineup Cards

1) Lineup cards - I was lucky enough to be able to acquire the lineup cards from Game 4 of the 1944 World Series. The Series is the only one ever played between the 2 St Louis teams. The Cardinals lineup card was filled out by HOF manager Billy Southworth. The Cardinal won the game 5-1, and Stan Musial hit his only career World Series homerun.

Some honorable mentions (not pictured)

• Carl Yastrzemski final career HR
• Steve Carlton final career win
• 1981 WS clinching game
• Adrian Beltre 1st career HR

WWII baseball

Both items come from the 1944 Army vs Navy "World Series" played in Hawaii.

The first is a plaque that the players from the game received. As the plaque indicates, this is from William Barney McCosky.

The 2nd is a ticket from the 1st game of that series.

Integration Baseball

1) In the Integration collection, I was excited to acquire 3 tickets from the 1939 UCLA football team, featuring Jackie Robinson. I'd love to eventually acquire the full run of tickets and programs from Jackie's football career at UCLA, though I know that is a long shot.

2) Saving the best for last (for me anyways). I had been trying to acquire this item for years, and was finally successful.

In between the 1945 and 1946 seasons, the Dodgers signed 5 black players. Jackie Robinson, John Wright, Don Newcombe, Roy Campanella and Roy Partlow. Robinson, Wright and Partlow played in Montreal, while Newcombe and Campanella integrated the US, playing in Nashua, New Hampshire for the Nashua Dodgers. (Both actually first signed to play with the Danville Dodgers, and the team/league pushed back against integration and they re-signed to play in Nashua.)

I was able to acquire Campanella's Nashua (and Danville) contracts in the past, and had really wanted to pair them with Newcombe's. It took a few years, but I was finally able to do so. I'm hoping that the Newcombe Danville contract one day materializes.

Fun to look back over the year and take an inventory.

I hope everyone is having a happy holiday season.

[Mark]

I guess I sort of like them all....

[milkit1]

It's been a good 1906 cubs year

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[clydepepper]

This picture of my cousin Whitlow:

1939 Whitlow Wyatt Photo.jpg

[Leon]

Maybe thus (and shown a few times).
I owned it around 4 yrs ago and just got it back. Very happy..

[Bumpus Jones]

Great stuff fellas. Here's my favorite addition this year. Milt Shoffner 1939-40 gamer jacket. Happy Holidays everyone.

[Bobsbats]

Alexander (2).jpg

[Mark]

Bob, that Alexander card is very nice!

[mrreality68]

looks like alot of great stuff picked as favorites.

I believe I am going after a Ticket stub of some type related to my collection in 2022 and that would probably become my favorite for next year.

Stay tuned

[GaryPassamonte]

Originally Posted by Leon

Maybe thus (and shown a few times).
I owned it around 4 yrs ago and just got it back. Very happy..

I wondered where that ended up, Leon. Great re-pick-up!

[roarfrom34]

may have been this Eddie Murray game used batting helmet from 1987:

[thetahat]

This. Had never seen this before.

[71buc]

This is always my favorite thread. There are so many amazing pieces in Net54 collections. I enjoyed a surreal 2021. It seemed items I had searched for many years all became available in a short period of time.

I also loaned about 20 pieces to the Clemente museum which are now on display. I met Manny Sanguillen and spent an evening being entertained by his stories of his days partying with Roberto Duran in Panama. Steve Blass hugged me and thanked me for helping out at the museum. I drank wine with Pete Alonso late into the night. I hate the Mets but now love Pete Alonso. He is a total class act. This past September the Washington Nationals visited the museum after a game. Juan Soto asked me if he could swing a Clemente bat. I opened a display case and handed him one. It was so cool watching him swing the bat with a huge grin on his face. Last week I was invited to help set up a Clemente display for the Mets celebration of Clemente Day on Sept 15th, 2022 at Citi Field. My collection took me through the looking glass in 2021. I still shake my head in disbelief of my good fortune. I have truly been blessed.

Here are my favorite 2021 my pickups: a rare Clemente Memorial bust, a full 1971 Game 7 ticket, a stub to Clemente's 3000th hit, a Clemente bat, and a beautifully autographed Clemente photo, and the only example of a Steve Blass Day pennant (Thanks again Rob) I have ever seen.

[Bugsy]

1. Elmer Miller game used bat.

2. This is a program from 1956 when Jackie Robinson and the rest of the Dodgers played an exhibition game in St. Paul.

3. 1994 Paul Molitor Blue Jays game used jersey

[ooo-ribay]

Chris and Mike had much better years than I.

Congrats, fellas!

[Dewey]

My two favorites would be a Jackie related photo and press pass that serve as a nice bookend.

My first ever photo back in 2016 was Jackie signing with Montreal in 1945. I then added a pic of Branch Rickey signing with the Dodgers in 1942. What I wanted to complete the set was a photo of Jackie signing with the Dodgers in 1945 alongside Branch Rickey. This year I got it. The image is blurry as heck in the PSA slab. Thinking of liberating it. But it is sharp and a beauty. PSA calls it a Type II, RMY gave a Vintage 1 window for it. It don't care either way!



Then my first World Series press pass--a sweaty 1956 pass covering Jackie's last official game.



Honorable mention to Kershaw's first win ticket.

[daves_resale_shop]

Sold a baseball card to fulfill my child hood dream of owning a jeep... its been a great second vehicle, and been a blast to take to the ice cream shop and beach with my kids...

[Dewey]

Nice Jeep, Dave!

And Mike, your stories...wow. What a year! Thanks for sharing.

[ooo-ribay]

Originally Posted by daves_resale_shop

Sold a baseball card to fulfill my child hood dream of owning a jeep... its been a great second vehicle, and been a blast to take to the ice cream shop and beach with my kids...

Baseball card or a Jeep?? Hmmmmm…..pretty easy decision for me. Nice pickup!

[jpop43]

Despite the prevailing circumstances, 2021 was a rather enjoyable year of collecting for me.

In addition to working out a couple of nice trades with fellow collectors this year, my bother and I were able to get out and 'hunt' the Madison-Bouckville Antique Show in August. My annual pickings weren't many in number, but I was happy to add each of them.

This years pick-ups span a variety of interests including the 19th Century, the 1950s NY Yankees, and the 1939 Centennial of Baseball. Here are three items from 2021 that I'm really enjoying...

1. This early-mid 1860s CDV image of the 'Old Canton' Base Ball Team (presumably, Canton, NY).

[jpop43]

2. This c. 1860s -1870s trophy style baseball bat with a unique knob that matches that of a graphic on an 1875 Sports Exhibition Program; While I can't say it was ever actually awarded as a trophy/presentation bat, its size, style, finish, and weight all point to it having been made for that purpose.

[jpop43]

3. This wonderful, c 1866 copy of Peverelly's 'Book of American Pastimes'; I had wanted a high grade example of this book for a long time and, thanks to a fellow NJ collector and forum member, I was able to add it to my collection via trade this past year.


Happy New Year to All!!

Jonathan
www.dugouttreasures.com

[Schlesinj]

Originally Posted by ooo-ribay

Baseball card or a Jeep?? Hmmmmm…..pretty easy decision for me. Nice pickup!

One amazing tidbit is Jeeps really do not depreciate in a similar manner as cars. Crazy market.

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by daves_resale_shop

Sold a baseball card to fulfill my child hood dream of owning a jeep... its been a great second vehicle, and been a blast to take to the ice cream shop and beach with my kids...

Very nice jeep and you are lucky you have your priorities right

my collection is more like an addiction

[Exhibitman]

Does the Steve Blass Day pennant miss the table when you try to put it down?

[71buc]

There are no apparent control problems at the present time. It was produced before his ability to find the strike zone disappeared so it should be fine.

[Exhibitman]

Here's another nice piece I snagged this year:

Basically, the mailer is a three-part that folds three times.

The address part with the Pollard (HOF) picture and the Cullom's Column is the outside.



Unfold it to regular paper size and there is a great Mikan image:



Unfold twice more and there is a three-sheet (four side) article on Mikan:



Dates to the pre-season of the 1948-49 NBL season, the first for the Lakers in what would become the NBA, 2nd year for Mikan. This early NBA/Lakers stuff is so hard to find.